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The idea of 3-D printing and the possibility to 'print' fully functioning weapons has our tech team abuzz and yesterday, taking it to extremes like tech writers are oft to do, asked us if it were legal to own a sniper rifle.

"Hell yes," we told them while asking for another can of Budweiser. You can buy a sniper rifle online by following a few simple rules.

You have to pass that background check, you know, no convictions for crazy or criminal acts. Aside from that it only comes down to the rifle being legal in the state you're planning to keep it and legal in the state you bought it.

Once you order the rifle, you call up your local gun shop that has a Federal Firearms License (FFL) to tell them they'll be receiving the weapon on your behalf. The dealer will then gather some information from you, and have the paperwork ready once the weapon arrives.

"Strawman" purchases — giving the money to someone who qualifies because you don't — are illegal, and will most likely be investigated by the bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).

Sniper rifles are not legal in New York State. So including the Empire State, sniper and assault rifles are a no-go in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut and California with most cities in all states having serious limits on the ordnance visitors and residents can tote around.

Aside from that, the array of guns available to U.S. consumers is nearly as vast as the places available to own them.

Now back to the sniper rifle. There's no point in getting one if it's not a good one so we told tech go with a .50 caliber Barretts, which are not cheap, and be sure to locate a range before any cash gets exchanged.

A basic rule of thumb has it that a .50 cal rifle range must be at least 1,000 meters, more than half-a-mile. There's no official listing of long-distance ranges, so calling around or google searching is the best bet.

Ugh. The idea that you can 3d print a firearm is pure HYPE. Never happen. The KEY parts of firearm, the barrel and firing mechanism, have to be high-grade steel. You will NEVER be able to print those. The upper, lower, forearm, stock, etc, can be made of whatever and printed but NOT the barrel and firing mechanism.